Residents of Bangladesh, St Joseph have accused officers of the St Joseph Police Station of using them for target practice, after a village favourite was killed by police as he worked last evening.
The victim, identified only by his alias “Jimpy,” was reportedly shot by lawmen around 5 pm, as he worked on a house in the squatting development, which borders the Priority Bus Route obliquely opposite the station.
Believed to be in his 30s, the victim, who is from El Socorro, San Juan, was said to have been living in Bangladesh for more than eight years.
An eyewitness who said he escaped with his life as a bullet whizzed past him, claimed Jimpy was unarmed and had not engaged the officers to warrant such behaviour.
“As the guy try to turn, the police shoot him. One shot, and the bullet past in front my face and I jumped down the scaffold and run in front. The guy didn’t have nothing in his hand or anything,” he claimed.
Villagers claimed the officers responsible attempted to cover up the unlawful killing by grabbed the bleeding man and rushing him to the nearby Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, immediately after the shooting.
Angry villagers yesterday swore they would not accept the killing, noting they had lodged complaints with the Police Complaints Authority about the treatment by officers from the station.
Natalia Boodram cried, “They kill a good one. He was always helping poor people and giving children money. He would meet you and hand you a $100 and say send your children to school when we doh have.
“He would meet you buying thing to cook in the shop and pay for it…he was that kind of person. The only thing he would say is drop a plate of food for him.”
The self-proclaimed grandfather of the village, known as Papa Praem, vowed, “If I had money, I woulda build a gun range and teach them bandits how to shoot because they always claiming we shooting at the police and they not getting scratch…the vehicle not getting scratch…the police retaliating and everybody dead.”
The 67-year-old, who has been living there for 30 years, added, “There are many atrocities going on in this village.”
He demanded answers from the relevant authorities as to why the police continued to instil fear in the residents.
“We are being neglected. We are being abused. We physically, mentally and emotionally been abused.”
One young man chimed in, “Real children going to school cause of him. Is a real good person they kill.”
Another asked, “Instead of terrorising and killing we…why the police don’t come and pick up the youths and carry them youth camps?
“Why they don’t say we will open a programme for them to learn…why allyuh have poor people living in fear so?”
Later on last evening, residents staged fiery protests over the killing.